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MacWorld Cover Shoot – Peter Belanger

This is a cool video of a product shoot from start to finish that Peter Belanger posted on his blog (here). You even get to go into the Art Directors office and see him slap the cover lines on the thing. If you visit the macworld website (here) you can discover this appalling fact about magazine production “[We] design twelve initial cover variations, meet about those covers, design twelve more variations, and then pick our favorite.”
Sounds like fun, doesn’t it.

A visiting friend

Debra Weiss

@A visiting friend, Just stating the obvious, which must not be that obvious. I am always stunned at narrow and judgmental attitudes about photography. To Mark: Perhaps you should take a look at an Outerbridge or Penn or Aaron Jones still life.

@Mark, Man, I totally geeked out on this, being a still life photographer! Getting that light just right so it reflects just so … damn! That’s what it’s all about. I LOVE it!!! But then again, you put me on a fashion set and I can’t help but crack up at all the ridiculous and often over the top fake personalities. Different strokes …

@Mark, Not to gang up on you, Mark, but I have to agree with Christine. Still life is fun. The lighting is everything. Getting it right provides a sense of personal accomplishment. You can’t hide behind a great location.

And, oh yeah, still life models are usually VERY cooperative. They show up on time, don’t mind working long hours and they don’t eat anything (although that last one holds true for a lot of fashion models as well).

Thanks for showing this! I love it when still life gets featured. Less glam, but it’s often more like a traditional art. Painterly and more individual in the creation. Sure, I’m a little bias, but from us out there who are, thanks!

scott Rex Ely

trish

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Still life requires a special talent. Whether you like the result or not, Peter Belanger delivered what the client asked for, and more, giving them a great video that gave Macworld and Peter much exposure; and many people, like us, are talking about it.

This is the kind of value added service that we professional photographers can offer, instead of complaining about whether the photo is boring or not, or whether it took too much “overhead” for just one photograph. If the photo is too expensive, we complain. If the photo is too cheap, as in the Time $30 cover shot, we complain.

As Monty Python would say, “Get on with it!” Stop complaining and create value for your client.

hey, great video.. loved seeing the process as it brought back lots of good memories.. I shot many covers in the late eighties to 90’s for macworld. I was fortunate that they couldn’t mess up my backgrounds like they can today : ).